Expandable foot covering



July 31, 1956 M. E. RANEY EXPANDABLE FOOT COVERING INVENTOR.

A TTOE NE).

UnitedStates Patent EXPANDABLE FOOT COVERING Marjorie Ellis Raney, NewYork, N. Y. Application April 18, 1952, Serial No. 282,994 2 Claims.(Cl. 3 6-9) This need has traditionally been met by the well-known typeof inflexible knitted or cloth bootees or leather shoes, which arearbitrarily constructed to predetermined size and shape and hence mustbe purchased considerably over-size or frequently replaced toaccommodate the rapidly growing foot of the infant. Otherwise, thebootee or shoe becomes too tight, and the proper development of theinfants foot may be seriously impaired. It is unsatisfactory to purchaseover-size bootees because of the difliculty of keeping them on theinfants foot without drawing the fastening means so tight that theproper circulation of the blood is impaired. Therefore, frequentreplacement is essential, with the result that the expenditure requiredfor foot covering during approximately the first year of a childs lifeis a considerable and often a burdensome amount.

A principal object of the instant invention is to eliminate thenecessity, and attendant cost, of providing the infant with severalpairs ofconventional boots of various sizes during the first year periodof rapid growth of the child, and to provide a more comfortable andhealthful bootee for this purpose, adapted to permit the freedevelopment of the infants foot without the constriction of aninflexible, hard pair of leather shoes or an inflexible pair of knittedor cloth bootees.

i A further object of this invention is to provide a warm, flexibleinfants bootee that will adjust easily and comfortably to the rapidlychanging size of the growing infants foot, while at the same timemaintaining an attractive appearance, and having a simple means forretaining the bootee on the foot with uniform effectiveness throughoutthe period of use of the bootee.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bootee of the typedescribed that will be simple to manufacture and have a low initialcost.

A broader object of the invention is to provide a flexible foot coveringadapted to adjust itself to varying foot lengths. i

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as thedescription progresses.

Briefly, the invention is exemplified by an infants bootee constructedprincipally of two pieces of flexible and preferably warm material,such-as knitted wool or an equivalent material that will stretch invtwodirections. One of the pieces serves to provide the'equivalent of thesole and heel portions of the conventional boot and extends up the rearpart of the leg to a region well above the ankle bones and forwardlyabout half-way around the leg..'. ,The other piece forms the equivalentof theupper portion of the conventional boot and complements the firstpiece, to which it is joined, as by stitching, in the manner shown onthe drawing, to form a bootee having a toe shape corresponding to thatof the conventional moccasin type but differing radically therefrom inthe heel construction, in that no definite heel shape is built into thebootee, thereby allowing for the adaptation of the toe-to-heeldimensions to the changing needs of the infant.

The problem of retaining the bootee securely on the infants foot withoutthe necessity of employing fastening means so snug as to prevent propercirculation of the blood is solved by the simple expedient of adrawstring adapted to be inserted through one row of a series ofvertically spaced rows of eyelets arranged circumferentially of theleg-embracing portion of the bootee in the general region of the anklebones. When the foot is small, the lowermost row of holes falls justabove the ankle bones, and the drawstring may be inserted in this row ofholes to retain the bootee without having to be tightened unduly,inasmuch as the drawstring does not slip over the ankle bones whentightened to only a comfortable degree. As the foot grows, and more ofthe leg portion becomes in effect foot portion, the higher rows of holescome successively into use.

The invention and the manner of making it will be more clearlyunderstood by reference to the detailed description that follows of thepreferred embodiment illustrated on the drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation showing the bootee in full lines, with thedrawstring in the lowermost row of holes, as it would be worn on aninfant of an age of perhaps two weeks, and in dotted lines, with thedrawstring in the second or intermediate row of holes, as it would beworn on an infant of an age of perhaps six months, whose foot hasoutgrown the smaller foot length;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the bootee of this invention asworn by an infant about two weeks old; and,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the bootee as worn by an infantabout one year old.

In the embodiment illustrated by the drawing, the invention comprisesupper and lower pieces indicated in their entirety by the referencecharacters 1 and 2, respectively, and fashioned of a flexible andpreferably warm material that will yield and stretch in two directions.For example, pieces 1 and 2 may be formed of knitted wool,.but anyequivalent flexible material may be employed.

Pieces 1 and 2 are formed separately, prior to assembly,

to approximately plane developments of the general shape indicated,without, however, the formation of a special, enlarged heelorquarter-forming portion in piece 2. The piece 1 has a curvate lowerforward portion 3 simulating in general the curvature of the forward,tip or toe portion of the human foot and, in the preferred embodimentshown, the curvature of the toe portion of a conventional moccasin-typeboot, to which it corresponds. Piece -1 also has an elongated toe andinstep portion 4 extending rearwardly and upwardly and terminating in anupper edge 5, the portion 4 forming the front or forward legembracingand upper instep-covering portions of the assembled bootee.

Piece 2 has a curvate, forward, lower portion, as indicated generally at6, this portion being made wide enoughto provide at the toe of theassembled device, in effect, both a sole portion 7 and the walls, orwall equivalents, 8 of the toe, these corresponding to similar portionsof the conventional moccasin-toe bootee.

extending rearwardly and upwardly from portions 7 and 8 and which formsthe rest of the sole, the lower archbootee, and terminates in an upperedge 10. The quarter As indicated by the reference numeral 9, piece 2has an elongated portion the heel region to allow for expansion into agreater sole or foot length, with the upper edge of the elongatedportion 9 aligning with or complementing upper edge 5 q -i e rre Par eso nie e 1: o define the uprer'raargia 0,5" he e PQ iQB; of h a sembl dbQQl5 Q-. Borders. 4 and 2 coope te; o rn e QQteaud cg -embraciug: Don.t c o the a sem led ar i l which as; wilt be lear from he. Pre edin e cp io comprise that Por ion of the be ee. extend ng ear rdly and,upwardly, from the toe portion, of the assembled article, asformcd fromthe toe portions 3 and 6 of the pieces 1 and 2.

It will. be seen that no. definite orfixed heek shape and .9, q sqeeldimension. is built into the bootee; of this invQDiiQm neither of thepieces 1 and 2, northe as-. sembled device, having. an arbitrarydividing line estab: lished; between the footand leg portions. Theportion of the; bootee, serving as. a foot port-ion at anyparticularstag in the life of the infant thus is determined by the size;- to,which; the infants foot has developed at the particuler time, the booteeadapting itself readily to. the changing: foot-size requirements,

Thc only adjustment required during the life of the bootce, istheyadjustment of the means. for retaining it on the infants foot. This isan exceedingly simple adjust-- rnent when the retaining means take thepreferred form illustrated on the drawing. As shown, a plurality ofvertically spaced rows 11, 12, and 13 of eyelets or apertures I4;arranged and: spaced: circumferentiallyof the leg portion formed jointlyby the portions- 4 and 9, accommodate 0 a drawstring which. may beinserted in the eyelets of= a selected row and tightened to reduce theeffective circumference ofthe upper in that particular region, to: holdit against slipping below the ankle bones. The bottom: row of holes 11is located so as to fall-just-abovethe anklebones: ofi an. infant abouttwo Weeks old; The additional rows 12 and- 13 are spaced successivelyvertically higherthan the row 11, and so as to in turn fall justabovethe akle bones and receive the drawstring when the; infant isof an ageof approximately six months and one year, respectively.

The number of rows of eyelets can be increased or decreased, dependingupon the number of adjustments desired, and other retaining means may beemployed in lieu ofg or in addition to, the drawstring-and 'eyelets.Itis important, however, to employ a type or retaining means that can belocated justabove the ankle bones at all stages of wear, so that thelegportion can be tightenedsufiiciently in that local area to resistslipping over theankle bones but without having to be tightened to thepoint where circulation of the blood is impaired,

In making the foot covering according to the method; of the instantinvention, the pieces 1 and-2 are preformed; as by knitting, and placedtogether in coniplementalfashion, and the curvate portions forming thetoe, and, t

the adjacent edges oftheleg embracing portions, from the top down to thebottom row' of eyelets, are, secured together; first, as bysewing. Theorder of" performing these initial 'securing steps is not critical.Thereafter, working from the secured portions toward the quarterportion, the sewing or; stitching together of'the two pieces of;material adjacent their lateral edges is progressively continuedto formthe completed line of stitching illus; trated by the dotted line, 16.While the stitching thus beingcornpleted', the material of pprtion 9; isstretched or-p ijlled to form a fullness at; the quarter, which is not,

sh t-alien up again by such naturalresilience as thematerial-may-havefbut; which is retained at least inpartafter thestitching is eornpletem andthus facilitates-the accpm; modation of theheel'of the wearer. A hemmay be pro; videdat the top of 'the upperportions as shown at 17' by the dotted line; All of 'the other edges maye overcast,

to prevent ravelling making the bootee ofthis; inventipn, it is; of?importance to avoid the estab-- a definite and invariablefoot-length;this. being 4.?- accomplished by providing as the only suggestion of ahad. a fullness in the general region of the netti n f piece 2 in whichthe heelwill fall during the varying stages of growth of the foot. 1

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have disclosed apreferred embodiment of the invention that will provide the advantagessought, but it is to be understood that this description is to beconstrued as merely illustrative and not in a limiting sense, the scopeof the invention'being defined by the subjoi'ned claims.

What I claim is; I

l. A foot covering for the human foot comprising a first piece,oi'flextible material. capable; of stretching in two directions havinga. curvate.lowe forward portion simulating in general the curvature ofthe forward, toe portion of the human foot and an elongated upperportion extending rearwardly and upwardly and terminating in an upperedge, said upper portion forming the front leg-embracing andinsteprcovering portion of the foot covering, a second piece of flexiblematerial capable of stretching in two directions having a curyate lower,forward portion shapedand dimensioned complementally tothe'lower,for-ward portion of the first piece and providing forward sole and} wallequivalents in the foot covering, said second-piece havin g an elongatedrearward lyextending portion extending rearwardly and upwardly irom itslower; forwardportion. and: terminating in an upper edge whichcomplements the upper edge of saidupper portion and combines therewithto form the upper edgeof the leg portion of the foot covering, saidelongated rearwardly extending portion of the second piece forming therest of the sole, the shankportion, the quarter portion, and therearleg-embracing portionofthe foot covering, and having a portion of"extra fullness extending over; the general region in which the heel ofthefoot normally will fall, so that no predetermined foot length isbuilt into the footcovering and the foot covering adjusts-itself tovarying foot sizes, said first and second: ieces being joined'togetherat their forward" and lateral edges throughout substantially theirentire lengths to form the unitary: foot covering, said elongatedrearwardly extending portion and said upper portion having a pluralityof circumferentially extending sets of vertically spaced alternativelyutili'zabl'efastening retaining means located in the region above. the,portion of'extra fullness and atleastone 0ft which will normally falljust 2. A footcovering as definedin claim I, in which-said" f st ning aiea s. omprise a. plu ality of. spaced apertures arranged'incircumferentially. extendingandjvertically" spaced rows. so locat d as,to, fall respectively just. above the ankle bones as. the fo'ot lengthofjthe, wearer r s nd h r by ex a s sorincr ases he. l ngthofthe.leg-embracing portion ofthe, foot, covering. and a draw..

string insertable in a selected row of-aperturesnextahove he kl n f r. csing he eficctixecircurnfercnce in the region local'to the selectedrqwt.

References: Cite in the file-j of this: patent- UNITED STATES PATENTS"

